Cyclists bring millions of dollars into Montana

In June, David Ziccardi of Philadelphia spent eight days riding his bicycle some 470 miles around western Montana.

David Ziccardi panned for sapphires at Gem Mountain during at eight-day bicycle tour of Montana.(Photo: Photo courtesy of David Ziccardi)

Ziccardi is one of hundreds of thousands of touring cyclists who likely will pass through Montana this year, spending hundreds of millions of dollars in the state.

The Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research recently published a study estimating that 565,372 cyclists rode through Montana in 2012. On average, those cyclists spent 8.8 nights in the state and spent more than $75 per day, for a total of $377 million spent by touring cyclists in Montana in 2012.

ITRR was asked by Montana's Tourism Advisory Council to look at bicycle tourism in Montana and how it compares to other parts of the country. The research group worked with Missoula-based Adventure Cycling to poll cyclists who had passed through Montana in the past three years to find out what they liked about their experience in the Treasure State and what they didn't.

The study found that cyclists were impressed by the friendliness and hospitality of Montanans, but would like to see wider shoulders on roads and more courteous drivers.

The study also showed that cyclists go all over the state, visiting many of Montana's tiniest towns.

"When people are biking in Montana, they're not just going to one place," Nickerson said. "They are all over the state."

That means increasing bicycle tourism could benefit all corners of the state.

"It's not going to be huge," Nickerson said of the economic impact of cycling tourists, "but it could be really beneficial for small communities."

'Mountainous and beautiful'

Riding Skalkaho Road was one of the highlights of David Ziccardi’s recent bicycle tour of Montana.(Photo: Photo courtesy of David Ziccardi)

Ziccardi first traveled to Montana via bicycle in 1999 on a 10,000-mile tour across the country. He came back again in 2009 and 2011.

"I wanted to get back to that area," Ziccardi said. "I remember it being very mountainous and very beautiful."

Those memories proved accurate. In June, Ziccardi flew into Missoula and traveled from Missoula, down the Bitterroot Valley, over to Jackson, through Twin Bridges and Butte and on to Philipsburg, Hamilton and back to Missoula.

He followed a combination of paved and dirt roads, camping along the way, eating in restaurants and occasionally staying in a hotel.

A highlight of his trip was panning for sapphires at Gem Mountain between Hamilton and Philipsburg.

Bike boom

A couple rides with the Pintler Mountains in the background.(Photo: Aaron Teasdale Photo)

Ginny Sullivan, director of travel initiatives with Adventure Cycling, wasn't at all surprised by the results of the ITRR study.

Adventure Cycling promotes bicycle touring and offers maps of touring routes. The Missoula-based nonprofit has developed touring routes across the country and around the globe, including five routes that pass through Montana.

"We have both on-road and off-road routes that go through the state," Sullivan said. "We bring a lot of cyclists into the state of Montana."

Cycling is currently undergoing a boom in popularity.

"A lot of people say biking is the new golf," Sullivan said.

That boom affects everything from bike share programs in large cities to bicycle touring, and was part of what prompted the Montana bike study.

Travel Montana recently posted a list on its website, visitmt.com, of 38 half-day and day-long bike rides in Montana, along with information on mountain bike trails.

Melinda Barnes and her organization Bike Walk Montana also works to help communities promote themselves as bike tourism destinations.

"We work with communities in trying to welcome bicycle tourists," Barnes said.

That idea is catching on around Montana.

Lincoln is working to attract more mountain bikers with designated trails and better signage. Helena also is promoting itself as a mountain bike destination. Anaconda recently released a map showing its bike trails.

A camp for cyclists

The bike camp in Twin Bridges is a popular stop for many long-haul cyclists(Photo: Photo courtesy of Julie Lovegrove)

In 2009, Twin Bridges established a bike camp.

A local Twin Bridges resident, who wasn't a cyclist himself, noticed all the bikes passing through the small town but not staying there, Sullivan said.

"He convinced the town to pony up $9,000 to build the camp," she said.

Twin Bridges simply built a shed with some showers in a city park. It's since turned into a destination for long-haul cyclists.

Cyclists often spend a couple days there, do laundry at the laundromat, eat at the local restaurants, drink at the local bars and resupply at the grocery store.

"They figured by the end of that season, they had recouped that money in both donations and spending in the community," Sullivan said.

Now other communities are looking to create similar bike camps, Barnes said.

Offering service for bicycle tourists is fairly easy, Sullivan said.

"You don't have to provide additional parking," she said.

Most cyclists just want a grassy spot to pitch a tent and access to water.

"A touring cyclist really doesn't need a lot," she said.

Adventure Cycling and Bike Walk Montana have been working with the Montana Office of Tourism and Montana State Parks to make state parks and other public campgrounds more bike friendly.

"We're hoping to create a bike tourism collaborative," Sullivan said.

Barnes would like to see a no-turn-away policy for cyclists at state parks. That would mean even if the campground was full, a cyclist would be allowed to stay.

"Bicycle tourism does bring dollars to our state," she said. "The more that we as a whole — drivers, planners, engineers, transportation departments and communities — can work together to accommodate bicyclists, the more we will see the benefit of that."

Bad shoulders, bad drivers

A recent study found that 565,372 cyclists rode through Montana in 2012 spending a total of $377 million.(Photo: Aaron Teasdale Photo)

ITRR's study did find some areas of deficiency in Montana in terms of what cyclists look for.

The lack of campgrounds was a common complaint, as was a lack of stores or services for long stretches.

Many cyclists who were polled commented on the small shoulders or lack of shoulders on Montana's roadways.

Rumble strips were also an issue. On many roads, rumble strips take up much of the shoulder. Cyclists can't ride on those strips, so they're forced either into the traffic lane or onto the far shoulder where debris collects.

Ideally, a shoulder should be four-feet wide, not including the rumble strip, Barnes said.

"We continue to partner with the Department of Transportation to make roadways friendly for bicyclists," she said.

Many touring cyclists also commented that drivers did not give them enough space.

"Motorist awareness has been a major concern, especially in northeastern Montana where you're getting near the Bakken Oil Field," Sullivan said.

If people aren't cyclists themselves, they may not understand how scary it can be for a cyclist when a car passes closely, she said.

"A cyclist has a legal right to the road," she said. "They are considered a legal vehicle."

"Don't honk, don't brush them and don't throw beer cans at them," said Sullivan, who said she once had a beer can thrown at her while riding in Montana.

Ziccardi didn't run into many problems during any of his tours through the Treasure State, besides afternoon thunderstorms, he said with a laugh.

He was actually impressed by the number of campgrounds along his route and how inexpensive they were, especially compared to the East Coast.

He appreciated that Montana doesn't have a sales tax.

"In a perfect world, some of the roads would have a bigger shoulder," Ziccardi said.

"The other choice is to ride closer to the road where you put yourself at greater risk of getting struck," he said.He'd also like to see better placement of rumble strips, which often forced him to ride on the far right side of the shoulder.

Other than that, Ziccardi had nothing but praise for the state.

"I'll definitely come back to Montana," he said. "I like the state a lot.

"I like many aspects of city living," he added, "but sometimes it can feel like you're in a sardine can. When I go to a place like that, it feels like having the lid pulled back."